Iowa
Iowa City sheriff’s office investigating reports of a car flashing police lights
IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – There is an investigation after reports of a car following other vehicles on interstate 380 with flashing lights, but it’s not a law officer.
The Johnson County sheriff said the most important thing to do is verify if you’re dealing with an undercover police officer. In this case, the sheriff says it wasn’t an undercover officer.
The driver in the car allegedly following others reached out to the Johnson County Sheriff, who is now investigating.
“I was driving home from Cedar Rapids and I passed that car, and when I did they got behind me and turned on red and blue lights,” said Kaylee Picek, who was followed by the suspicious car.
She said when she was on her way home the car started flashing what appeared to be police lights. But she didn’t pull over, because something didn’t seem right.
“Then he got behind me and followed me for a while and I called 911 because I was like ‘there’s no way this Red Buick is a police car, there’s no way,’” Picek said.
The 911 operator reassured her the Buick was not part of a police department or sheriff’s office. The car eventually stopped following her.
Sheriff Kunkle said she did the right thing in a confusing moment.
“Especially if it’s an officer from a local agency, they can verify directly over the radio that that is in fact a law enforcement officer,” said Sheriff Brad Kunkle.
Iowa has laws about which vehicles are allowed to use flashing lights, especially if they’re blue. But Sheriff Kunkle wouldn’t say if the driver of this car will face charges… only that the situation is under investigation.
For Picek, she’s just grateful her drive home ended the way it did.
“If you have any doubts about it, calling 911, calling the police, if it is a police officer, it’s not gonna be a big deal, they’ll just tell you to pull over. And if it isn’t a police officer you might have saved your own life,” Picek said.
Picek said while she doesn’t think her particular situation was likely to become violent, she’s worried it would have become dangerous if she had pulled over.
“I think maybe it might have been some road rage thing. Or more so a power trip thing, he got passed, he didn’t like it. And he wanted to control how other people drove without doing it the proper way.”
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In a single-game midweek matchup vs. Bradley (3-20, 0-6 Missouri Valley), Iowa baseball (17-9, 10-2 Big Ten) defeated the Braves through a 13-3 run-rule decision in seven innings on Tuesday night from Dozer Park in Peoria, Ill.
Freshman Jaron Bleeker (2-0, 5.68 ERA) started on the mound for the second time in his career and was credited with the win. He gave up one run, walked a batter, and struck out a batter in his lone inning of work.
Six other pitchers saw the mound for Iowa, each throwing an inning. The pitching staff combined for 12 strikeouts and seven walks and didn’t give up a run after the fourth inning. The Hawkeyes also held the Braves to three hits.
“On the mound we were definitely better than we were last Tuesday, which was a good sign,” said head coach Rick Heller. “A few too many free bases, but it wasn’t a great night to play. To get out of here with a 10-run rule win — we’ll take it.”
In terms of the Hawkeyes’ offense, Iowa mustered a total of eight hits and earned walks on 14 occasions.
“It was a strange game tonight, really,” said Heller. “We were able to take advantage of a lot of Bradley free bases.”
The Hawkeyes plated five in the first off seven walks and an error. They didn’t score again until the fifth frame when junior Gable Mitchell hit a 2 RBI single and transfer Miles Risley slapped a 2 RBI double.
“In the fifth, we broke through with some clutch hits,” said Heller. “Gable Mitchell had a big two-out hit that gave us some breathing room, and Risley followed two batters later.”
Iowa scored its final three runs in the seventh inning when grad transfer Daniel Rogers hit an RBI triple and junior Kooper Schulte smacked a two-run home run.
Risley was the lone Hawkeye with a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases. Freshman Jaixen Frost walked in two runs and scored twice. Junior Caleb Wulf and redshirt sophomore Reese Moore each scored two runs. Senior Ben Wilmes also recorded an RBI walk.
Up next for Iowa will be a three-game Big Ten series vs. Northwestern (13-13, 5-4) from Rocky and Berenice Miller Park in Evanston, Ill., with Game 1 scheduled for Friday at 3 p.m. CT. The entire series can be seen on Big Ten Plus (Subscription required) and heard on the Hawkeyes Radio Network alongside play-by-play voice John Leo and color analyst John Evans.
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The National Weather Service is urging Johnson County residents to prepare for the possibility of large hail, strong winds and tornadoes on Wednesday morning.
A lot of uncertainty remains about the nature of the storm.
Here’s what to know:
First round of storms to move through overnight
A storm system is first set to move through the area overnight on Tuesday into Wednesday.
The National Weather Service in the Quad Cities is forecasting a level one severe weather threat, the second-lowest on their scale. These storms will feature lightning and the possibility of hail that may disrupt the morning commute.
The first set of storms is expected to hit the area by 8 a.m. on Wednesday.
Second round of storms could bring hail, tornadoes
A second set of storms is forecast to roll through eastern Iowa, including the Iowa City and Cedar Rapids metros, during the day on Wednesday.
The National Weather Service has given the second system a level two rating out of five, noting that it could produce hail, wind and tornadoes. However, “a high degree of uncertainty” remains with regard to the strength, severity and widespread nature of the storms. They are expected to develop and impact the area between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m.
Maximum wind gusts are forecasted to reach 35-40 miles per hour.
Ryan Hansen covers local government and crime for the Press-Citizen. He can be reached at rhansen@press-citizen.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @ryanhansen01.
Do you live on Benton St near Riverside?Are you feeding outdoor cats or know someone who does? If so please contact me!!
I manage a very large cat colony in Iowa City and we are working hard to get them all sterilized and the population under control. Many cats have been hit by cars on these streets and we try our best to keep them away from the busy roads. Feeding them so near to that busy road is drawing them towards danger and away from their little safety nook in a neighborhood nearby.
I appreciate any information you have, thank you!
Miller Orchard
Neighbor
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